Ruth Axtell Morren is a successful American author, well-known for her romance, inspirational, thriller, and Christian fiction novels. She has written several series, including the Regency series and the Leighton Sisters series, as well as standalone novels and contributions to omnibus collections. Morren has also collaborated with other authors such as Jennifer Blake, Lindsay McKenna, Cheryl St. John, Linda Ford, Yvonne Lindsay, Jillian Hart, and Jenna Keman. Sometimes, she writes under the pen name of Ruth Axtell.
From a young age, Morren knew that she wanted to become a writer. At 12, she wrote her first story, a spy thriller, which featured some interesting twists and turns. However, there were many detours along the way as she pursued more realistic goals. Morren studied comparative literature at Smith College and spent her junior year in Paris. She then taught English and lived as an au pair in the Canary Islands and worked in international development in Miami, Florida, where she met her husband. After moving to the Netherlands for six years, Morren began crafting her first serious story and gained recognition as a writer when she made the finals in the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Contest in 1994.
Morren's journey of faith has paralleled her outward journey, which has been seemingly circuitous and sometimes wandering in the desert, yet ever-guided by the Good Shepherd. Currently, she teaches Spanish to her children and a small group of elementary school children in an after-school program. She also enjoys gardening and has recently learned to knit. Living in rural Maine has given her an opportunity to learn many new skills, such as starting a fire in a woodstove on a cold winter morning, shoveling snow, and appreciating the stars in the sky at night.